Increased Seismic Activity at Tungurahua Volcano in Ecuador - Seismicity has increased dramatically at Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador. Given the open-vent state of the volcano, there are emissions of gases and ashes. The previous eruptive episode took place on the 14 and 30 of December 2012 and then went to a scale of moderate and low. On the 25 and 27 of February, over five tremors were reported associated to lava inside the volcano. On the first of March the tremors reach a total of 80 with several minutes of duration. From December 12, 2012, a progressive increase of seismicity was recorded, mainly in the number of earthquakes associated with fluid motion and some fracture earthquakes. A slight increase in gas emissions was recorded. During the following days the population should continue monitoring the volcano activity because it is located only 80 kilometers from Quito, the capital city.

Italy - In total, Etna erupted from three different craters in the last week - Voragine, Bucco Nuovo and the new Southeast Crater. Most of the activity from the summit Bucco Nuovo and Voragine craters has been small strombolian explosions with short lava flows.

Russia - Kamchatka volcano spews up ash, no danger for local settlements. The Shiveluch Volcano in Russia's Kamchatka has spewed up ash to an altitude of 4.5 kilometers above sea level. There is no danger for the local settlements. Video

Fuego volcano (Guatemala) - Increased lava effusion. During the last hours, the lava effusion has significantly increased and the active lava flow towards the canyon Trinidad has reached 1,000 meters in length. At the summit, strombolian-type explosions are continuous and produce constant degassing sounds. INSIVUMEH warns in its special bulletin of the possibility of another larger eruption, which could include stronger explosions and pyroclastic flows generated by explosions and collapse of parts of the lava flow on the steep slope, in a similar way as during the strong eruption in mid February, only about 2 1/2 weeks ago.

TROPICAL STORMS -
No tropical storms.

Australia - Queensland braced for cyclone threat. North Queensland is braced for another deluge but forecasters are downplaying the risk of a cyclone crossing the coast. The Bureau of Meteorology is keeping a close eye on a strengthening
monsoonal trough over the Coral Sea.

SEVERE RAIN STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES -

Second sinkhole appears in Tampa area - A second sinkhole appeared in the Tampa area on Monday, just miles from one that opened beneath a home last week and swallowed a man from his bed, though the latest one appeared not to pose immediate danger. The latest sinkhole did not cause any injuries or structural damage to the homes around it.
The latest sinkhole opened between two homes and was about 12-feet round, 3 feet deep around the edge and about 5 feet deep in the center. This latest sinkhole appears to be unrelated to the one that opened last Thursday. "It is not geologically connected." Last Thursday's hole was about 30 feet wide and 60 feet deep and filled with clay and debris. On Monday, demolition crews returned to that home to demolish the rest of the house before efforts will begin to stabilize the sinkhole.
Two nearby houses have been evacuated because the sinkhole has weakened the ground underneath them, and their residents probably will never be allowed inside again. the man who died had moved into the four-bedroom home only two months ago. With the sinkhole expanding, engineers placed listening devices, microphones, ground-penetrating radar and other equipment testing the soil on the site to seek a safety zone to work and any sign of life below. They detected no such sign.
Sinkholes in Florida are caused by the state's porous geological bedrock. As acidic rainwater filters into the ground, it dissolves the rock, causing erosion that can lead to underground caverns, which cause sinkholes when they collapse. (video)

HEAVY SNOW / EXTREME COLD -

This is proving a freakish year for weather, but Japan is having an odder time of it than most. The country has had a RECORD WINTER FOR SNOW, and northern Japan is currently coated by unprecedented volumes of snow – more than five meters at higher altitudes, with houses turned into igloos and roads into snow tunnels. In the Hakkoda Mountains the depth of snow has been measured at 5.61 meters – a record for Japan. Even lower down, in the city of Aomori, snow is standing at almost 1.5 meters and bulldozers have to work round the clock.
This has also been a RECORD YEAR FOR SNOW in parts of Russia – a couple of weeks ago snow piles of more than five meters caused gridlock in Moscow – and Switzerland, too, has been experiencing dramatic snowfalls, with depths of up to three meters. These snowfalls, especially those in northern Japan, are remarkable by any standards. But they still fall well short of the all-time record-breakers. Tamarack in California claims the record for the deepest snow ever recorded: 11.5 meters on 11 March 1911. That year, Tamarack also recorded the largest snowfall in a single month in the US: almost 10 meters.

Canada - Toronto BROKE A SNOWFALL RECORD for Feb. 27. At Pearson International Airport, 12.4 centimeters of the heavy wet snow covered the ground, breaking the record of 7.1 centimeters set in 1967. The slush is still flooding some city streets. City officials are asking homeowners to stop shoveling the slushy snow onto the road as it’s blocking the catch basins. The city said the cost to clean up Wednesday’s slushy mess is around $2.5 million.

About Me

Hello and welcome!
I'm Crystal - the sole creator and maintainer of this site.
I started the webpage in 1998 - just before the turn of the millenium, when everyone was talking about the disasters that were coming.